Russia invites Zelensky to Moscow for talks as Ukraine's EU bid faces hurdles

Russia has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to come to Moscow for peace talks. The Kremlin stated that Moscow is the only acceptable venue for such negotiations, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Ukraine a 'Western pawn' and laid out Russia's core demands and security guarantees.

Separately, Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected Zelensky's request for a concrete date for Ukraine to join the European Union, ruling out any fast-track membership process. This indicates significant political hurdles remain for Ukraine's EU aspirations.